No More Mistakes
by dark clouds on a winter night
Summary: Eska made a mistake once, and all it did was lead her into committing it once more. So why should she make the same mistake again? After all, look where it has gotten her. One-shot.


**I actually didn't intend to write a story for LoK for a while, or at least until Season 2 was over. But after watching Chapter 5: "Peacekeepers," this idea just kind of popped into my head, so I decided to give it a try.**

**I also wanted to note that this is not a Boleska story.**

* * *

**No More Mistakes**

* * *

"So..." The tall boy looked from side to side, "Why do you keep coming down here to talk to me?"

"I am looking for company," Eska stared forward, "And you provide it."

The boy twitched a bit and glanced her way, "Er...company? How do I provide that? I mean, you're the Water Tribe Princess, and I'm, well, just Norak," he looked her way, hoping to see some kind of reaction, but did not receive one, "And yesterday you told me you don't like leaving your home, there's nothing special about this part of the city."

"You live here."

"Oh..." Norak looked for any signs of his family or friends about, wondering if one of them needed him, "Well, I already told you I'm not that interesting. I can waterbend, and that's it."

They continued trudging through the streets, though Eska's eyes traveled from right to left, watching the people scurry around the market. So many boys her own age, and she could have any one of them she chose. But why should she settle? She was a princess, a man had to be worthy of her love. Nobody too large or small; they needed to be able to fight but he couldn't be better than her; and most importantly: he needed to have some honor. "Norak, I'm hungry. Buy me something," she spoke, pointing at a vendor's stand.

"What? Um...okay..." Norak cringed, and pulled some money out of his pocket as he headed over to the stall.

Eska's eyes watched his every movement, and the corners of her mouth turned up just a bit. Norak was much nicer than that last boy that had shown any kind of fancy towards her. She had forgotten his name, only that she detested him. Funny, she detested most people except for the nice ones that gave her the time of day. Her father was always so busy, and for the past month he had been obsessing over the Southern Water Tribe, so the times he could acknowledge her were rare. That could only mean the Glacier Spirits Festival would be arriving and she would have to leave the few people she liked, like Norak. "Here," he gave her a handful of old kale cookies, "Sorry, I didn't have much money with me, I had to get the old ones..."

Eska looked down and wished she hadn't asked him to buy her anything. But if she wanted to keep Norak, she'd have to do some pretending. "Thank you," she said, keeping the stale treats in her hand instead of eating them.

"Um...I have to go now, sorry," Norak took a step away, ready to take another.

"Fine. I wish to see you tomorrow; meet me here," Eska gestured to where they had been standing.

"Okay, bye!" He took off.

She smiled again; he always took time to speak with her, maybe he was the worthy one. Of course, he would have to get her father's approval, but he was always so busy that he probably would not pay them any attention. And as long as Norak didn't try to hurt her—and she was positive he was not that type—Desna would not really care, either.

But then again, why was he always running off? Eska had tried to find a reason for it; maybe his family needed him all the time, or perhaps...perhaps there was another girl? No, that couldn't be it, how could he refuse her? The first time she had met him, she knew he was different from the rest of the boys that threw snowballs at her when they were little or cowered as she walked past. Then again, when she told Desna, he cautioned her that Norak sounded "too good to be true."

"I'll be back for you," she muttered as her feet led her back home.

Hopefully he would ask her out on a date soon, she wanted something official. Or maybe she should initiate it, there was nothing wrong with that, was there? After all, most of the misogynistic thinking seemed to have faded away time. Either way, the fear of staying friends remained in the back of her mind, reminding her that something about Norak was missing from her picture. And if she wanted him to be her boyfriend, Eska would have to learn it.

* * *

**.~.~.~.**

* * *

Only three more days before they had to leave for the Glacier Spirits Festival; Eska wore a perpetual scowl that day, dreading the trip south, as well as seeing her aunt, uncle, and her cousin: Korra. Eska began walking faster at the thought of Korra, her brow furrowing even more. It never seemed to matter that she was the princess of the Water Tribe, whenever she accompanied her father anywhere outside of either of the Water Tribes, she was always asked question about her wonderful cousin. "Did you and Korra train together?" "I bet you two were best friends growing up." "Did you hear what she did in Republic City?" "Have you met her boyfriend, yet? Is he as nice as he seems?" If only she could freeze them when they asked those stupid questions.

Eska told herself to forget about her cousin, she was going to have to put up with her for who knew how long, and it was better to focus on someone else: Norak. She was running late thanks to the amount of traffic in the streets. All those automobiles did was block up the roads and make noises loud enough to keep her up at night; at least they got her places fast when she had to ride in one. Forgetting the automobiles, Eska hurried down the sidewalk until she passed a newspaper stand with Korra's picture on the papers, with two boys on each of her sides. "Korra again," she huffed, taking a closer look at the story.

The one with the scarf in the picture, she recognized him as her insufferable cousin's boyfriend, Meko or something. The other looked related to him, possibly his brother. How odd, an earthbender and firebender, if the story on the paper was to be believed, were related. Eska rolled her eyes and carried on, Korra would probably be bringing them with her to the festival. She could just imagine three versions of the Avatar running around, drawing in all the attention. That was enough, Eska shook her head, no more thoughts about the festival; they were making her mood sourer than it already was.

"Norak, come here," she said the moment she reached the same spot they had been in yesterday.

Nobody replied, except for the sound of customers haggling and children throwing snowballs at each other. "Come out, please," she tried again, hoping the last word would coax him out of hiding.

But Norak failed to appear. He was supposed to meet her at that spot at that time, and Eska had been late, so why wasn't he waiting for her? She set off down the street that he always seemed to take when he left. Perhaps he was later than she was. A block down, all she could see were houses. Eska closed her eyes, trying to picture the sort of place Norak could be. Maybe...maybe he was trying to surprise her? Maybe he wanted to finally ask her out, and he had something special planned! With that idea, she hurried back, happy to leave the residential area. Besides, who knew what kinds of people lived in there? Her father had offered to have a guard go with her, but Eska was afraid doing so would scare Norak away. Maybe it was best to stay in the parts of the city she knew best.

"Hello, again," a familiar voice caught her ear, and Eska whipped around to see Norak leaning against the side of an alley.

But he wasn't looking at her; he was looking at another girl, one she didn't recognize. "Hey, Norak," the girl smiled, "I haven't see you since yesterday morning, where were you in the afternoon?"

"I was...busy."

"Was she bothering you again?" The girl tilted her head to one side, lips in a pout.

"Yeah, she won't leave me alone! We have to move farther away, though; I told her I'd meet her at the market at this time. She might come looking."

"Oh, come on, Norak, she's probably holed back up in her room already. I'm sure we're beneath her highness anyways. Why would she bother us?"

Their voices lowered, and Eska narrowed her eyes. How could he? Norak had treated her like a gentleman, always listened to her, and didn't talk about the disgusting creatures he found in the ditch. But the entire time he already had a girlfriend, no wonder he hadn't asked her on a date. Her jaw dropped when they leaned in and began kissing, oblivious to her presence. How could Norak be like this? What a lie, a horrible lie that Eska had believed. "I've been tricked," she clenched her teeth, and walked forward, "Norak!"

The two broke apart, a bright red lipstick stain smeared on his face. "Eska!" Was all he managed to squeak out while the girl looked like she had just seen Koh the Face Stealer.

With a few swift motions, Eska bent the icicles hanging from the buildings, causing them to shatter at the couple's feet. The ice then attached itself to the two, freezing Norak to the wall and the girl to the ground. "I will not say goodbye," Eska tried to maintain her composure, though her voice quivered and tears pricked her eyes, "I never want to see you again."

* * *

**.~.~.~.**

* * *

Eska took in the Glacier Spirits Festival, standing in the snow, watching the gaudy lights swing in the breeze and people mill around booths. The smell of the cheap carnival-like food made her stomach want to turn and the constant laughing grated against her ears. Not to mention the breeze was cold, somehow piercing her thick robes. All she wanted was to go to her room and go to bed, away from the ridiculous noises and people. But of course, Father wanted her and Desna to "have fun" while he spoke with whoever was running the backwards tribe, as well as his brother.

To her left, Eska could see Korra and the two boys from the newspaper. One was sharing cotton candy with her cousin, and the other seemed to be devouring something unidentifiable. "That earthbender with Korra is staring at you again," Desna narrowed his eyes.

Eska looked back towards the trio, wrinkling her nose at their raucous laughter and disgusting eating habits. The one wearing green, she heard Korra call him "Bolin," glanced her way again. Then he said something to the other two, trying to wear a self-assured expression. He looked somewhat friendly, but so had Norak. And the Water Tribe boy was probably still prying himself off the alley walls. A just punishment, Eska believed, trying to shove the memory out of her head. She would find someone else, a better man than Norak could have been—someone she wouldn't find with another woman.

A quick glance to her left showed Bolin walking towards her; she knew why he was coming, the ridiculous expression on his face said it all. He introduced himself to Eska, but she turned to give him a withering glare, making a hissing sound under her breath. Why should she trust him? She knew about this earthbender from the papers, he was a famous pro-bender and had many adoring fans...and many were female. How could she date a man who could choose almost any girl from the street to be his girlfriend? It was another heartbreak waiting to happen.

He paused for a moment, but then began rambling about wanting to speak with her. For someone so well-liked, his awkwardness seemed out of place. Eska turned her head to listen, this "Bolin" was almost endearing for someone who was not part of the Northern Water Tribe. "I think he is trying to establish some kind of bond with you based on your geographic point of origin," Desna sniffed.

Eska exchanged a look with him; of course her brother would try to sound smart when dealing with somebody like Korra's friends. Then again, she didn't blame him; they never did seem like the brightest bunch. The earthbender's defeated look caught her eye, the same pleading look she felt like wearing while returning home, still taking in the truth about Norak. But unlike the Water Tribe boy, Bolin had come to her, she hadn't come to him. He seemed to have at least one gentlemanly bone in his body. And his uncultured way of life was far different from hers', perhaps learning about would be enlightening. Maybe a chance would be fair, what could it hurt? He could easily slip from her grasp, Eska knew that all too well. But how would she keep this one from escaping her? There was only one way to keep this one from leaving her, Eska realized: never letting him go. "You amuse me," she looked at him, "I will make you mine."

Confusion and surprise met on his face, as she dragged him through the streets with Desna trailing behind, shaking his head at her. Eska shrugged off her brother's reluctance towards the earthbender, Bolin was as harmless as an otter penguin, she was sure of it. He would confront her about the matter tonight, no doubt, and would probably bring up Norak. That didn't matter, Bolin would stay with her; she would ensure it. Dominance, she decided, was the key to keeping him from leaving her for one of those Republic City floozies, there was no way she would let him have chance at another girl now. "Win me prizes," she pointed to a stall with flying bison and ringtailed flying lemur toys.

As Bolin paid the man in the stall and began throwing balls at targets, Desna came up Eska, "He will break your heart again, I don't want to see that."

"I will not let him," Eska growled, "He is mine, I will ensure it."

* * *

**.~.~.~.**

* * *

She should have known. Eska was never the one Bolin wanted, and it was all her awful cousin's fault! Korra attacked her father, started a war, and stole her husband from her, what kind of family did she come from? She sat in her room, refusing to let anyone in, not even her brother. Eska would not admit it, but he had been right. Bolin left her, trampling her heart on the way out. She had tried to get him back, keep him from treating her like Norak had, but he sped away in his boat with Korra and her other dreadful friends. First Norak, now her Bolin; what a record.

Ignoring the streaks of makeup on her face, she sniffed, "Korra will pay. She already has a boyfriend, why did she need to steal you, too?"

And what kind of man left a princess waiting for him at the altar? The makeup, dress, flowers, they were all worthless now, reminders of what she could have had. What had she done wrong? All she did was keep Bolin from leaving her for someone else, how was that bad? Maybe she had been wrong about him, maybe all men were the same; was it even worth it to go after him anymore? Revenge was the best medicine to heal her now.

_No more mistakes,_ Eska thought to herself, _Not one more._

* * *

**I kind of enjoyed writing from Eska's perspective, the twins are quickly becoming my favorite characters, even though I don't condone her possessiveness.**

**I'd appreciate any kind of feedback you have!**


End file.
